Tangent Scale Models HO scale HO GSC 60-foot flatcar

Tangent Scale Models HO scale GSC 60-foot flatcar Plain flatcars are versatile utility cars on real and model railroads. They haul all sorts of materials, such as lumber, machinery, and just about anything else that can be secured on the deck. This new HO model from Tangent Scale Models represents a 60-foot flatcar design introduced […]

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New products for the week of January 31, 2013

Athearn Trains HO scale Electro-Motive Division GP50 diesel locomotives HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP50 diesel locomotive. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Chicago & North Western; and Southern Ry. Four road numbers each. Factory-installed wire grab irons, prototype-specific details, and McHenry knuckle couplers. Direct-current model, $189.98; with SoundTraxx Digital Command Control sound decoder, $289.98. September […]

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California’s Salton Sea: A rail photo gallery

The Salton Sea in Southern California was formed in 1907 when men tried to redirect Colorado River irrigation canals and caused a two-year flood. It spans the intersection of two great deserts: the Mojave to the north and the Sonoran to the south and west. Summer temperatures routinely hover at 120 degrees. In the 1950s […]

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Duck, duck, belle?

Two Kansas City Southern “Southern Belles” cross the Kankakee River at Momence, Ill., on a southbound Union Pacific container train on July 16, 2011. The route between Chicago and Woodland Junction, Ill., is jointly operated by CSX and UP. Photo by Brian M. Schmidt […]

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Aristo-Craft wireless throttle and sound system

Kevin Strong Wireless throttle and sound system Aristo-Craft Trains698 S. 21st St.Irvington NJ 07111Price: $175Website: www.aristocraft.com Wireless throttle/sound system combination with generic diesel sound for Aristo-Craft’s Revolution control system Pros: Self-contained wireless receiver/throttle/sound all on one board; sound component can be turned off and receiver used with third-party sound systemsCons: Sockets for speaker and other […]

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Highest points and steepest grades on America’s classic railroads

Railroad names: Georgia Railroad, Great Northern, Gulf, Mobile & Ohio, Illinois Central, Kansas City Southern, Lehigh Valley, Louisville & Nashville, Maine Central, Milwaukee Road, Missouri Pacific, Missouri-Kansas-Texas, Monon, Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis, New Haven, New York Central, New York, Ontario & Western, Nickel Plate, Norfolk & Western, Northern Pacific, Pennsylvania, Reading, Rock Island, Rutland, […]

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‘Foreigners’ at Bensenville . . . and beyond

West of Huntington, Ind., on the Erie Lackawanna, in March 1976, an EL U25B and GP35 back down to an eastbound freight brought in from Chicago by Milwaukee Road F units. Mike Schafer When I started with the Milwaukee Road in 1971, in road service, the railroad was desperately short of motive power. To help […]

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Athearn HO scale 2-8-0 locomotive

Athearn HO scale 2-8-0 steam locomotive Model Die Casting’s HO scale old-time 2-8-0 was a common sight on model railroads for decades. Through its Roundhouse division, ­Athearn has brought this classic model back, upgraded with new details, directional lighting, modern electronics, and an improved drivetrain. Tracking its heritage. The Consolidation 2-8-0 was one of the […]

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Seeing time move

FULL SCREEN Ellen Skye The Union Pacific Railroad in southern Nevada circa the late 1990s/early 2000s. FULL SCREEN Ellen Skye The Union Pacific Railroad in southern Nevada circa the late 1990s/early 2000s. FULL SCREEN Ellen Skye The Union Pacific Railroad in southern Nevada circa the late 1990s/early 2000s. FULL SCREEN Ellen Skye The Union Pacific […]

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General Electric Tier 3 locomotives suffer engine fires NEWSWIRE

CHICAGO – General Electric locomotives constructed in 2012 with the new Tier 3 locomotive emissions have been suffering major engine fires recently. The locomotives differ from Tier 2 engines in many ways including higher pressure fuel lines, which are reportedly operated at 20,000psi. These lines have been prone to break, spraying the prime mover with […]

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X Train plans January 2014 start-up NEWSWIRE

LAS VEGAS – During a conference call with investors and interested parties today, Michael Barron, president and CEO of X Train, announced company plans to begin passenger service between Fullerton, Calif., and Las Vegas on January 4, 2014. A special inaugural trip will run Dec. 31, 2013. The train will operate non-stop between the Amtrak/Metrolink […]

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